Bruins’ Hamilton living up to the hype

This is where the Bruins envisioned Dougie Hamilton would be when they drafted him almost three years ago. They envisioned a big, physical, offensive-minded defenseman who had the ability to succeed Zdeno Chara.

BOSTON — This is where the Bruins envisioned Dougie Hamilton would be when they drafted him almost three years ago. They envisioned a big, physical, offensive-minded defenseman who had the ability to succeed Zdeno Chara as the Bruins’ best blue-liner after first perhaps playing alongside him for a few years in meaningful games.

This is where Hamilton envisioned himself, too.

“When you think about Bruins D-men, you think about Z,” Hamilton said. “Just after getting drafted, I didn’t know if I was ever going to play with Z or whatever, but to be playing with him now is pretty cool. It’s something that I want to keep doing, and it’s up to me to keep playing well and keep earning that spot. That’s what I want to keep trying to do.”

Boston coach Claude Julien refused to tip his hand about his expected defensive pairings for Game One of his team’s Eastern Conference playoff series against Detroit, which begins Friday at TD Garden. But all indications have been that Hamilton and Chara will make up the Bruins’ top defensive pairing, matching up against a Detroit first line that probably will consist of veteran playmaker Pavel Datsyuk centering youngsters Gustav Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader.

“Defending is so important in the playoffs, and I think that’s an area that Dougie’s really improved and will continue to improve,” Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said earlier this week. “He’s just getting stronger as a man, as a young man. He’s getting more confident with his body and with his strength — and his play with the puck on the offensive side of the blue line has been terrific.”

Hamilton “made big strides from when he got here, the very first time, to today,” Chara said. “He’s improving. He’s learning more and more. That’s a great sign. He’s got to continue to do that, just like everybody else.”

A handful of Bruins were absent from practice at TD Garden on Tuesday, including defensemen Matt Bartkowski, Andrej Meszaros and Kevan Miller — some due to injuries, some due to the flu. Julien declined to specific which players were dealing with injuries and which players were sick.

Even if the full complement of defensemen had been present, however, Hamilton almost certainly would have skated alongside Chara. Even a surprise return by veteran Dennis Seidenberg, who tore ligaments in his knee in late December but skated before practice on Tuesday and isn’t necessarily out for the year after all, might not bump Hamilton from the top pairing with Chara.

It’s a significant investment of responsibility in a 20-year-old player in his second year in the NHL.

“When you come in as a young player, you’re bouncing around, you’re trying to feel what it’s all about,” Chara said. “You can’t be expecting to expect a first-year guy to come in and take on all that responsibility. You have to give those players time to develop. He’s really making good strides to filling out his body, getting strong mentally and being prepared and aware of the situation he’s playing in.”

In some ways, both Chara and Hamilton can look at the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs as an opportunity for redemption.

A badly beat-up Chara recorded a minus-6 rating in the final three games of the Stanley Cup finals a year ago. He was on the ice for two of the three goals Chicago scored in the decisive Game Six, including the game-tying goal with 76 seconds left.

Hamilton, meanwhile, was watching from the press box, as he did for most of the postseason. He appeared in just seven games, tallying three assists with an even plus-minus rating.

But a combination of his development — he scored seven goals and compiled a plus-22 in 65 games this season, both third-best among Bruins defensemen — and the loss of Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid to injury and Andrew Ference to the Edmonton Oilers via free agency have thrust Hamilton into a more prominent role.

“For me, it’s more responsibility, more opportunity,” he said. “It’s something I wanted to take advantage of. It’s been something I had to get used to, playing with Z at the start, playing against other teams’ top lines. It’s a different game. …

“I want to contribute in the playoffs. I want to play well and help the team. I don’t want to have the same feeling as last year. That’s up to me. That’s in my control.”